Cupcake Day!

I have an irrational love of cupcakes. I don't know what it is... maybe the fact that they're like adorable little mini cakes. Or the fact that if you eat one cupcake you don't feel like a fatty. And if you eat two... is it really that much more than eating a normal piece of cake? Or perhaps it's all the awesome options for wrappers (see photo--from my mom!). Some people hate on cupcakes, say they're not classy or whatever. I personally find them suitable for all occasions: weddings, birthdays, I-hate-work-so-much-I-cry days, etc. So I was delighted when this week's recipe was for Black and White CUPCAKES! (Also, it gave me another chance to use the AMAZING cupcake pan and carrier my mom got me while she was here, which I think I love almost as much as cupcakes themselves.)


I actually had no idea what to expect from reading the recipe, as it calls for both a black batter and a white batter, and when you assemble the cupcakes for baking as directed, you have a chocolate puddle with a big dollop of cream cheese in the middle. But once the cupcakes bake, they end up being rich chocolate cupcakes with a fantastic chocolate chip cream cheese filling. There's no recipe for frosting, not even a frosting suggestion, and honestly, frosting is not required. I baked them Saturday along with some chocolate chip pumpkin muffins, and the orange and black were perfect for Halloween weekend festivities.


I tried to spread the cupcake/muffin love as much as possible. I took the first round to a meeting Sunday afternoon, and the rest (minus a few to keep for myself, of course) to dinner at Tim and Maureen's that night, where they got rave reviews. The rest were divided up amongst the two of them and Chris as evenly as possible to avoid any fights. I'm still enjoying the ones I kept. In the spirit of the recipe, Dr. Robinson comments, "few things in real life are black and white," and after a long, rough week, I couldn't agree more. But cupcakes, I believe, are white, even the chocolate ones. Taking a moment to enjoy a cupcake is also a chance to take a moment to breathe, relax, and savor the sweet things in life. I think that's what I love most about cupcakes: you can't eat one without smiling. :-)